Book Description
In this savage novel Huxley transports us to Los Angeles in the year 2108, where we learn to our dismay about the 22nd-century way of life.
Customer Reviews:
Bleak, baby, bleak.......2006-10-01
Compared to Ape and Essence, Huxley's more celebrated dystopian comic fantasy, Brave New World, bursts with sunny optimism about the future. World War II, which intervened between the two books, unquestionably accelerated Huxley's depair. In Brave New World, the people of the far future had lost their edge, their creativity, their sense of the tragic; that seemed like a sorry enough fate to readers in the pre-Nazi, pre-Hiroshima 1930s. But Ape and Essence posits a crueller and more desperate post-apocalyptic future.
Huxley delivers the bad news in his trademark style, a savage yet mannered irony that must have inspired Terry Southern a generation later. Most of the story is told in the form of a manifestly unsellable film script by an imaginary unknown. The script's narrator sets the scene by briefly describing World War III in chilling detail: if you're not afraid of thermonuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, just read the few pages that Huxley devotes to them. Your current mundane nightmares will take a serious turn for the worse.
The script does end on an upbeat note. But it's in a '40s movie. Huxley himself gives absolutely no cause for optimism. Nearly sixty years ago he specified fanatic nationalism and contempt for the natural world as the most dangerous attitudes on earth.
Now look around you.
Still scary after all these years, Ape and Essence is for those who like their dystopias blackly humorous and seriously thought-provoking.
Clear Influence on Planet of the Apes and Clockwork Orange.......2005-01-20
I read this book quite rapidly (two days) and really liked it.
It's 1948, Ghandi has just been assassinated, and two guys connected to the movie business come across a script that's just fallen from a trash truck. They set out to find the author, whose script makes up the bulk of the novel.
There are a lot of wonderful "postmodern" touches here -- for example, one of the main characters in the script picks up a copy of Shelley that's about to be burned, and ends up reading it at the grave of the fictional author of the script saved from the trash heap.
In addition, this book's scenes of apes lording themselves over human beings unquestionably inspired Planet of the Apes.
And finally, the novel's descriptions of classical music in its portrayal of a dystopia probably influenced A Clockwork Orange. In fact, Anthony Burgess named Ape and Essence one of the best novels in English since 1939:
"Novels like Ape and Essence seem now to be very much products of their time [immediately post-Hiroshima] and rather dated. But this is Huxley -- clever, brutal, thoughtful, original -- and his fictional tract clings to the mind....It is a nauseating vision of a still possible future...."
Well worth reading.
Cacotopian Novel.......2005-01-03
A while ago I read an article in (I think) The New Yorker stating nobody reads Huxley anymore. Well, I decided to reread Ape and Essence (one of my all time favorite titles for a book, incidentally). The bizarre parts of the book are still great fun (Give me detumescence / that means you), but the story is a little weak as it is more concerned with being shocking, I think, than being a good story. I would recommend Island (a utopian novel) instead. In Ape and Essence the fact that the humor is so dated is interesting.
The Novel is the Message.......2004-11-04
Aldous Huxley's Apes and Essence is science fiction combined with the allegorical drive of a Swift's Gulliver's Travels. It ought to assume a proud place beside other works on retro-futures -- novels like, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and films of the Mad Max genre. Huxley is convinced that we opted for the worst of both worlds -- East and West -- by failing to curb the capability of science with the wisdom and moderation of Eastern mysticism. Here too is the brave new eugenicsl, and insofar as Huxley is trying to point to this as a future dilemma, he is decisively on track.
Brilliant and Intriguing.......2004-07-04
I was glued to this book. Huxley has amazing foresight, and although some of the ideas in the book are a bit out there, it doesn't detract from the important ideas that the book presents. He makes many good points on where the world could all to easily lead with just the push of a button.
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Ape and Essence
Aldous Huxley
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000OAYW00 |
Average customer rating:
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Ape and Essence
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000FP9WM2 |
Average customer rating:
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Ape & Essence
Aldous Huxley
Manufacturer: HARPER & BROS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SN6AJ4 |
Average customer rating:
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Ape & Essence
Manufacturer: Chatto & Windus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I1LXCA |
Product Description
A prophetic nightmare & a warning of what could happen if mankind persists in his present follies.
Average customer rating:
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Ape & Essence
Aldous Huxley
Manufacturer: CHATTO & WINDUS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q6110Q |
Average customer rating:
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Ape and Essence
Aldous Huxley
Manufacturer: Harper and Brothers Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000RT625G |
Book Description
Warrior of the Wind
The map to the treasure-filled tomb that would ransom Lady Katherine's father was in the possession of a half-English "Khamsin," a desert warrior renowned for tiger-like ferocity. Long ago, a tiger had scarred Katherine and taught her a lesson: Protect yourself from such powerful creatures, no matter how beautiful. The veil she wore would not be enough.
Seeker of her heart
Her foe was truly dangerous. His amber eyes were keener than his sword, his kisses too. They stripped away Katherine's defenses and made her forget her duties, her promises, why she'd hidden so much from his view. Then the warrior took Katherine where she wished to go. In the depths of his ancestor's tomb he made sweet love to her and proved she was his… and that very soon he would uncover everything she tried to hide.
Customer Reviews:
As Good as the first.......2005-02-08
This sequel was as good if not better than the first....the leading lady was tragic, but still finds happiness. She is disfigured and does not believe anyone would ever want her so she runs away to escape an arranged marriage and finds her hero, who turns out to be the person she was supposed to marry.
Tiger and the Tomb.......2004-07-30
As a fan of historical romance novels, I was really intrigued in the beginning of the book. However, I did find that the story itself moved very slowly in certain sections of the book. I would recommend the book for those avid romance lovers because this book does have the elements needed for love and romance.
Very highly recommended.......2003-12-11
In 1893 an arranged marriage pairs Lady Katherine Smithfield with an Egyptian family friend known as Nazim. Despite her dual English and Egyptian heritage, Katherine only fulfills the marriage contract because it was her mother's dying wish. Besides, her scarred left cheek assures a dearth of marriage proposals. The scar was left by tiger cub in her youth. Now her father is in danger. Unless she can steal a treasure map from a man known as Ramses, her father is bound for jail for a crime he did not commit. Her blackmailer assures her that her father will not survive the experience.
Ramses deplores his half-English heritage. Like his sacred totem, Ramses is fierce and relentless as a tiger when he stalks something he wants, and he wants the mysterious woman for a night of passion before he signs his marriage agreement. Like his ancestors, as a Guardian of the Ages (those sworn to protect his sheikh), Ramses is a warrior sworn to sacred bonds of trust. Once he marries his English bride, he will take the name Nazim and must remain faithful to his wife to ensure an heir to carry forth his family's sacred trust. When they meet, both Katherine and Ramses experience an overwhelming chemistry, even though neither knows the identity of the one they are sworn to marry or that their missions put them at cross purposes.
Bonnie Vanak weaves a captivating tale of love and intrigue in THE TIGER & THE TOMB. The sequel to THE FALCON AND THE DOVE, Both Katherine and Rames suffer from deep inner torment that finds love's remarkable power of healing. Vanak displays impressive flair for capturing the atmosphere of ancient Egypt, lending the exotic past a vivid presence that lingers with the reader long after the last page is turned. With a remarkable blend of eroticism, adventure, and humor, THE TIGER & THE TOMB belongs on the historical romance fan's keeper shelf. THE TIGER & THE TOMB comes very highly recommended.
An exotic world..........2003-12-03
Bonnie Vanak sweeps readers away to the Middle East in the Tiger and the Tomb. Lady Katherine is trapped; she is betrothed to what she believes is an old goatherd, but before she can fulfill that obligation, she must find a way to steal a fortune in gold and save her father from a murderous blackmailer. Her desperation leads her into the arms of Ramses, the Warrior of Love. He is the guardian of the map that can lead her to the treasure, and the most virile man she has ever laid eyes upon. In his arms, she feels beautiful for the first time; but that does not prevent her theft of the map.
Ramses is enraged at the threat to his people's treasures, and equally intrigued and enthralled by the beautiful thief. If only he was not engaged to the cold Englishwoman, he would gladly love the mystery woman for all time, thief or not.
*** In this Egyptian version of Shakespeare, the reader is sure to be captivated by the exotic world and by the tender passion between the hero and heroine. Fascinating beauty and hidden strengths come into play in this adventurous romance that blends two worlds. ***
Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.
tremendous Victorian era romantic suspense.......2003-11-26
In 1893 Lady Katherine Smithfield travels to Egypt where she is to fulfill her late mother's death bed wish that she marries a family friend, Nazim. Katherine is not too happy with this arrangement, but besides honoring her deceased mother she rationalizes that it is not like she has any other prospects ever since an accident scarred her visage.
However, her father is in trouble and if Katherine wants to see him free and alive she must steal a treasure map from someone named Ramses or the blackmailing tomb robbers will insure an accident occurs. Ramses knows that once he marries his English bride, he will be sworn as a Guardian of the Ages to take the name Nazim and remain faithful to his wife. Katherine tries to buy one of his famous Arabian stallions but the stud discussion leads to a kiss that moves the earth. Though she feels she found her soul mate, she steals the map. Ramses vows the thief of his heart will be his, but neither knows the danger nor whom the other really is.
THE TIGER & THE TOMB, the sequel to the delightful FALCON AND THE DOVE, is a tremendous Victorian era romantic suspense that will make believers out of readers that Bonnie Vanak is a great writer. The story line is action packed yet filled with humor, some of which is erotic. The secondary cast adds depth to the era, the intrigue, or amusing insight into the lead couple. Ramses and Katherine are a charming duet whose adventures in late nineteenth century Egypt is a winner for historical readers of any age.
Harriet Klausner
Amazon.com
Isaac Asimov's 1951-53 Foundation trilogy is a rough-hewn classic of far future SF, honored with a unique 1965 Hugo for Best All-Time Series. It begins with "psychohistorian" Hari Seldon mapping the best possible course for humanity's next millennium, after the fall of the doomed Galactic Empire. Late in life Asimov revisited the series and awkwardly linked it with his popular robot stories--introducing vast conspiracy theories to explain the Empire's total lack of visible robots.
Asimov's estate authorized three SF notables to fill out Seldon's life in the Second Foundation Trilogy, which David Brin here wraps up after Gregory Benford's Foundation's Fear and Greg Bear's Foundation and Chaos. Chaos is the new keyword, because chaos theory seemingly makes nonsense of psychohistorical prediction. Whole planetary populations can lapse into chaotic rebellion despite secret mind-controlling agencies behind the scenes. So Seldon makes his last interstellar journey, harried, lectured, and even kidnapped by the warring factions of robots and not-quite-robots that have long manipulated humanity. The robots' dilemma:
"We are loyal, and yet far more competent than our masters. For their own sake, we have kept them ignorant, because we know too well what destructive paths they follow, whenever they grow too aware."
Brin does his best with Asimov's overcrowded legacy, skillfully steering Seldon to an insight about the much-foretold future that satisfies both the old man and the reader, with a spark of human free will and constructive chaos shining through the grayness of predestination. Asimov would have approved. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy is one of the highwater marks of science fiction.The monumental story of a Galactic Empire in decline and a secret society of scientists who seek to shorten the coming Dark Age with tools of Psychohistory, Foundation pioneered many themes of modern science fiction.Now, with the approval of the Asimov estate, three of today's most acclaimed authors have completed the epic the Grand Master left unfinished.
The Second Foundation Trilogy begins with Gregory Benford's Foundation's Fear, telling the origins of Hari Seldon, the Foundation's creator. Greg Bear's Foundation and Chaos relates the epic tale of Seldon's downfall and the first stirrings of robotic rebellion. Now, in David Brin's Foundation's Triumph, Seldon is about to escape exile and risk everything for one final quest-a search for knowledge and the power it bestows. The outcome of this final journey may secure humankind's future-or witness its final downfall...
Download Description
"
Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy pioneered many themes of modern science fiction. Now, with the approval of the Asimov estate, three of today's most acclaimed authors have completed the epic the Grand Master left unfinished. The Second Foundation Trilogy begins with Gregory Benford's Foundation's Fear, telling the origins of Hari Seldon, the Foundation's creator. Gregory Bear's Foundation and Chaos relates the epic tale of Seldon's downfall and the first stirrings of robotic rebellion. Now, in David Brin's Foundation's Triumph, Seldon is about to escape exile and risk everything for one final quest -- the outcome of which may secure humankind's future -- or witness its final downfall ..
One Last Adventure!
Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy is one of the highwater marks of science fiction.The monumental story of a Galactic Empire in decline and a secret society of scientists who seek to shorten the coming Dark Age with tools of Psychohistory, Foundation pioneered many themes of modern science fiction. Now, with the approval of the Asimov estate, three of today's most acclaimed authors have completed the epic the Grand Master left unfinished.
The Second Foundation Trilogy begins with Gregory Benford's Foundation's Fear, telling the origins of Hari Seldon, the Foundation's creator. Greg Bear's Foundation and Chaos relates the epic tale of Seldon's downfall and the first stirrings of robotic rebellion. Now, in David Brin's Foundation's Triumph, Seldon is about to escape exile and risk everything for one final quest-a search for knowledge and the power it bestows. The outcome of this final journey may secure humankind's future-or witness its final downfall...
"
Customer Reviews:
At last---a triumph.......2005-03-30
Foundation's Triumph is just that, especially after the tedious, overlong first book (with its uninteresting Voltaire/Joan of Arc subplot) and the very good, very enjoyable but un-spectacular second book. This one clicks on all levels. It has majesty and sweep. It has complexity, lots of gray areas, philosophical debates where the answer is never quite clear. Well written and conceived. This makes wading through the first book worthwhile. Superb.
Bizarro.......2004-09-06
This book is the most boring and bizarre of the 3. If I hadn't read the other 2 I would've just stop reading this one. Several times I just wanted to hurl it across the room never to be picked up again. I should've because nothing happens requiring anyone to read it.
Brin just repeatedly re-hashes everything I already knew from Asimov's books, and then turned eveything around so that Daneel and Hari (and, to a lesser extent, Wanda), once the good guys, are now megalomaniacs. If that's not enough to turn anyone off, how about this: Dors falls in lust with another robot. And these are just a couple of examples of the nonsense in this book. I've never read Brin before, and I certainly never will again.
This book couldn't be further from Asimov's Foundation in every way except for the use of Foundation in the title.
A good wrap to a good project........2003-12-16
I think Brin, Bear, and Benford did a very good job on these books (the second foundation trilogy). They took these ideas from Asimov and agreed to not take literary license with them but to merely bring them to life in the way Asimov would have if he had lived to write them. I think that Brin actually might even be a better writer per se than Asimov, but it was Asimov's storyline, not the way Brin wrote it that made it a great book. It answers many questions that Asimov never got around to answering but I think always meant to at some point because they were in the notes that the three B's used to write this series. Great job!
A great read - but should be entitled Foundation Established.......2003-08-17
This series has been an awesome read. How can you not like Hari Seldon??? This volume has a lot more intrigue in it, with a good continual rythum of action and adventure, to keep anyone turning its pages. I found it to be more in line with the first volume in this series, than the second (focused really on action and the like).
Foundation's Triumph though may be an overstatement for when you read through the appendix about the future of the universe as forseen by the various authors that have contributed to it, one almost wonders if Foundation Established would be the better title.
Hopefully, the Asimov estate will continue to let other authors, or even these three, take on another phase of the Foundation and see where it and R. Daneel Olivaw allow humanity to go? Worth the read.
A Salvage Operation.......2002-11-16
I did not like "Foundation's Fear". Greg Bear and David Brin continue where Gregory Benford left off, but their novels were more salvage operations than anything else since Benford gave the entire "Second Foundation Trilogy" such a poor start. Having finally read all three novels, I am left with the impression that this was not a story of the emergence of the Second Galactic Empire as so many of us had hoped and wished for. Instead, we got a history of the Second Foundation's beginnings, and even that history is woefully inadequate.
David Brin's novel is the best of the three. However, I agree that there is far too much "backstory" and very little is said about the psychohistorical momentum to build the Second Empire. Brin makes a noble attempt to cobble the disparate elements Benford introduced in the first novel and give his readers the satisfaction of knowing that a Second Empire has indeed emerged that was different from what both the Second Foundation and the people of Gaia envisioned.
However, the "Killer B's" have done their readers a grave disservice by not completing the history of the Interregnum between the two Empires. David Brin compounds this sin by making oblique references to Golan Trevize and the role he is to play during this period as well as what was done by Mors Planch and Biron Maserd. Why did he do this? And is there any intention of the part of the Asimov estate to finally tie all these loose ends together? David Brin hints in his Afterword and Timeline that somebody else should continue the story.
Well, I sincerely hope that somebody will, and that whoever takes up this gauntlet will be fearless enough to move forward and not be mired in the past as both Asimov himself and his "successors" were. What the heck? I might do it myself!
Book Description
"The Cross and the Crown" covers the earthly ministry of Jesus. This is a companion book to both "Emmanuel" and "Highly Exalted". Chant reveals what suffering on the cross meant, proof of the resurrection, and the power the resurrection gives believers to live victoriously in the present world. (Theology)
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Epoca, published by Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA) on May 10, 1999. The length of the article is 785 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: El triunfo de la creatividad.(Kurt Schwitters; Fundación Juan March; Madrid, España)(TT: The triumph of creativity.)(TA: Kurt Schwitters; Juan March Foundation; Madrid, Spain)(Columna)
Publication:
Epoca (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 10, 1999
Publisher: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
Page: 66
Article Type: Columna
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Foundation's Triumph
Manufacturer: ORBIT (LITT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GYCNC8 |
Book Description
- The smallest NIV pocket-size New Testament available—in clear, readable 6-point type.
- Complete NIV text of the New Testament, with all translators’ footnotes and sectional headings.
- Getting to Know Jesus, Promises from the Bible, and Perspectives from the Bible sections.
- Convenient carry-along size.
- Double-column format.
Customer Reviews:
Easier to read than I thought.......2007-06-18
I was really expecting to have at least a little trouble reading this pocket edition. Fortunately, my concerns were unnecessary. I recommend this to anyone looking for a small New Testament to carry around comfortably.
Best Buy.......2006-09-24
This is the perfect Bible to keep with you no matter where you go!!!
I love it.......2006-06-26
Easy to read and I love that the words of Jesus are in all in red.
A tiny testament - A huge value !.......2006-05-26
I always loved the NIV edition of the NT.
Now I can take it with me anywhere I go to with great ease! This edition is leather bound. The pages are thin and delicate and the words of Christ are written in red colour as to distinct them from the rest of the book. While the book is small to fit in your shirt-pocket, the words are very readable. Other value is that the book can be given as a gift for someone special, as the first page is a page of "Presented to".
An excellent pocket-sized bible.......2006-01-05
This New Testament is an excellent size for carrying in a bag or pocket. Unlike the identically-sized ESV New Testament (ISBN 1581345976), it has a very sturdy, fake-leather cover, which overhangs the pages to protect them from damage. It also has a useful fabric place-marker.
If you want a pocket NT, I highly recommend it. However, it's not entirely without faults...
- unlike some the other reviewers, I do not appreciate the words of Christ being in red: this makes them harder to read, and may imply to some readers that the rest of the bible is not equally inspired of God.
- while easy to read, the NIV translation often strays unhelpfully far from the literal meaning of the original Greek texts.
- there is a very unhelpful FAQ-style page at the back of the book, entitled 'Getting To Know Jesus'. Rather than pointing the reader to God's words on the subject (to be found throughout the preceding pages of the book!), the author gives only his own glib and somewhat misleading musings. What a waste of paper.
But overall, this is a very nice publication... I've bought several as presents for friends and family.
Books:
- Baudolino
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- Best Short Stories of the Modern Age
- Bringing the Devil to His Knees: The Craft of Fiction and the Writing Life
- Caballo De Troya 2: Masada (Caballo de Troya)
- Child of My Heart: A Novel
- Cities of the Red Night: A Novel
- Clockers
- Coming Through Slaughter
- Davita's Harp
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20th Century
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Island (Perennial Classics)
After Many a Summer Dies the Swan: A Novel
The Perennial Philosophy (Perennial Classics)
Point Counter Point (British Literature)
The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell (Perennial Classics)
